Evergreens lose older foliage in fall, too

Here are some gardening quandaries I encountered this week.

Evergreens dropping leaves: As days shorten, evergreens and houseplants reduce their leaf load by dropping older foliage. Your plants are not sick, and do not need fertilizer.

Pine needles dying: We call this "aleppo pine blight," where foliage on the southwest side of the tree suddenly wilts. It's attributed to water stress going into the fall. Increase watering, especially with it staying so warm, and continue through the winter.

Glistening pine leaves: The sticky stuff is aphid honeydew and creates a mess that is hard to remove. Wash the tree down or spray it with neem. You also will find aphids on many other plants.

Icing walkways: As temperatures dip below freezing, moisture drifts from lawns onto walkways and quickly turns to ice, becoming very dangerous. Water after 9 a.m. to avoid this hazard.

Make pyracantha jelly: This is a recipe from the archives of the late Aggie Roberts:

Place 3 cups of washed berries in 6 cups of water and simmer at low heat for 20 minutes.

Add juice from one lemon and grapefruit to the berry mix.

Strain mixture through cheesecloth without squeezing berries and discard them.

Return mixture to kettle and add 11/2 ounces of powdered pectin.

Cook at high heat until mixture comes to a full boil, reduce heat to medium-high.

Add 6 cups of sugar to mixture.

Boil mixture at medium-high for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Expect a thin mixture.

Remove mixture from heat and skim off any foam.

Pour mixture into hot, sterilized, half-pint canning jars.

Seal jars according to manufacturer's directions.

Process jars in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes and test seal when cooled.

Winter color: Plant alyssum, pansies, stocks, snapdragons, violas, candytufts, calendulas, petunias, poppies and sweet peas in a sunny location for needed light and warmth to bloom.

Holes in cabbage leaves: Cabbage loopers cause holes in the cabbage family of vegetables. Moths lay pale green eggs on leaves that later hatch to feed on the leaves, making the produce unappetizing. Control loopers using Bt or Bacillus thuringiensis, an environmentally friendly control. Apply weekly until the problem is controlled.

Roses running wild: Fast-growing rose canes tell you wild canes are coming from below the rose's bud graft. Remove them now or they'll smother the desired rose.

Pruning roses: Start pruning in mid-January, and strip off leaves to force bushes into dormancy. Dormant spray roses afterward to eliminate overwintering insects.

Olives staining carpets: There's not much you can do now except harvest them to prevent further staining. In March, spray trees with a hormone that aborts olives to eliminate the problem next winter.

Blooming lemons: Lemons are beginning to bloom and need protection when temperatures drop below freezing. Cover the tree with a tarp large enough to reach the ground to trap warmth coming from the soil. Avoid using plastic; it's colder under plastic and damage will be more severe.

Pick lemons: If you expect a hard freeze, harvest lemons exposed in the upper and outer portions of the tree. Fruit damage occurs once temperatures drop below 28 degrees.

FRESH POSSIBILITIES FOR YOUR LANDSCAPE

With shorter days and cooler temperatures, December is a quiet time to consider changes to your 2009 garden. Let our experts walk you through some fresh possibilities for your landscape. A free class will be offered at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd.

WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL

Illuminate your world at the Springs Preserve this holiday season during our second annual Winter Lights Festival, as a half-million lights create colorful and breathtaking displays.

Enjoy entertainment from roaming performance groups, carriage rides, visits with Santa Claus and Theater Las Vegas' original puppet show, "Dickens Done Over."

The festival runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday through Dec. 24 and Dec. 26-30 (the preserve is closed on Christmas). Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for children ages 5 to 17, and free for children younger than 5. Entry includes all museums and galleries.

Linn Mills writes a gardening column each Sunday. You can reach him at linn.mills@ springspreserve.org or call him at 822-7754.